Connecting device for electric conductors.



N. D. LEVIN. CONNECTING DEVICE FOR ELECTRIC CONDUGTORS. APPLICATIONFILED MAR. 11, 1910.

1,082,032, 1 Patented Dec.23,1913.

awue/wtoz limited to 'a cable reel but may be used in y from the reel toconnect with the mains plugs'in place in one OfzthG sockets.

and useful Improvements in Connecting casev it is desirable to provideconductors for UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NILS 1'). LEVIN, or OLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE JEFFREY nanvracruarneCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

CONNECTING DEVICE FOR-ELECTRIC CONDUOTQRS.

Tocll wlwm it may concern:

Be it known that I, NILS D. Lev n, a citizen of the United States,residing at" Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new Devicesfor Electric Conductors, of which thefollowing is a Specification, reference, being bad therein to theaccompanying drawing. c

This invention relates to improvements in connecting devices forelectric conductors and is especially adapted for use in mines or othersimilar'places where gases of an explosive nature are frequently metwith.

F or purposes of illustration I have shown in the accompanying drawingsa device em; bodin m -1nvent1on a bed to arable y s, 3 PP reel such as-is commonly used in connection with mining machines. It will beunderstood, however, that my invention is .not

connection with a variety of difierent types of apparatus.

A .cable reelsuch as I have. illustrated is. ordinarily mounted eitherdirectly upon the mining machine. or upon a separate truck which isadaptedtobe placed at a point near the mining machine. In eitherconnecting the motor of the mining machine with the cable reel, andthese'conductorsl should preferably be detachable from the cable reel topermit its turning to wind or unwind the cable. In practice, after themining machine and the reel have been placed in position, enough cableis unwound in the mine entry. After this has been done the conductors tothe motorare connected,

and the motor is ready for operation. It is essential thattheseconductors be not connected or disconnected when theelectri'calcircuit is otherwise complete as in this case i an arc might resultwhichwould cause, a

difiiculty that my. present invention is intended; I

Of the drawings: Figure 1 is a cross sectional view of a cablereelhavingadevice embodying my invention... -Fig;',2 is an en-'- larged crosssectional view of oneof the Referring tothe drawings, 1 represents orcasing 8.

is a sleeve 9 1910. Se ria1I\To. 548,664.

the cablia reel as a whole.-' The reel comprises the cable drum 2, whichis rotatabl mounted by means of the shaft 3.

4 represents the cable which is to be Patented me. as, was.

wound on the drum. This cable preferably comprises two separateconductors 5, 5, suitably bound together; -Each of the 'conduc-- tors 5is connected by means of a block 6 to a terminal 7 located within thesocket Surrounding eachterminal and located within the socket or casing8 preferably formed of insulating mater al.

10 represents a conductor terminal plug provided with a finger 11,adapted to enter the sleeve 9 and engage the terminal 7. Sin-- roundingthe finger 1,1 and concentric with it is a sleeve 12 adapted to enterthe space between the sleeve 9 and the socket 8.- The inside and outsidediameters of the parts 11, 9, 12 and 8 are so related to each otherthatithere is a slight clearance between each two ad acent surfaces anda continuous tortuous passage-way is established between the s aceimmediately surrounding the termina 7 and the space 13 provided at theouter end of the s'ocket12. The plug 10 is provided witha radialfiangerl'to which is attached a pad'14 formed of soft rubber or othersuitable material adapted to close thechamber 13.,

, 15, 15 are hooks or catches adapted to engage the outer ends oftheplugs 10. These hooks are pivotally mounted on-the frame of the reel.

frameand electrically connected by'means It .will be observed thatcurrent must always flow around the'solenoid whenthe cables 5,

of the wires 19 to the. conductors 5.

'5, are connected to a source of electric energy. w e

20 1s a core adapted to enterthe solenoid.

At its outer end-the core is provided with beveled surfaces 21. A spring22 connects with the core andtends to hold it in its outer position.When the core 20 is moved toits inner position under the influence ofthe solenoid, the beveled surfaces 21 engage the inner..en dsof the rods16 and forcethej rods outward; This outward movement of the rods forcesthe hooks into engagement with the plugs 10. So long asthe currentcontinues to flow through the solenoid theparts are all held in. theposition shown In Flg. 1,and the plugs cannot be removed.

The plugs can be removed only "when electrioalconne'ctionstothe cable 4:are broken at the mineentry. It will furthermore be noted that shouldthe cable 4 be connected before the plugs are insertedthe hooks 15 wouldengage the pads 14:? to prevent the "insertion of the plugs far enoughto engage the terminals 7 It will be observed that the solenoid 18'andthe ,core 20 are entirely inclosed within'thedrum 2 of the reel and thattherefore these parts cannot be disturbed by anyone desiring toimproperly connect the conductors. Asa-n additional precaution I haveprovided the concentric sleeves about the engaging parts of theterminals 7 and the-plugs 10. If, on account of any possible'defect inthe mechanism which I. have described, one of the plugs the combinationof a pluralityof'elements adapted tobe maintainecl'at different -elec-10'were removed when current was ilowi'ng, it would still be impossiblefor any harm to result from the are which might be thus caused. If anexplosion were to occur,

within the; sleeve 9, it would be impossible for this explosion toignite the external atmosphere. Q account of the, long tortuouspassageway a y gases passing out would .be

cooled to'a temperature considerably below that of igxnition.Furthermorethe pad 14: serves-to, eepexplosive gases from entering andaccumulating in the-spaces within and surrounding the sleeves.

" What I claim is 1; In a mechanism of the class described,-

the combination of two elements adapted to "he maintained at differentelectrical potentials, terminals OOIIHQCtQCl'ODQ, toeach element,conductor plugs adapted to each engage a-terminal, and automatic meansfor locking the plugs in engagement with the terminals when the elementsare at'difi'erent potentials, the operation of the saidmean's beingdependent upon the difierencein potential ofthe twosaid elements,substantially as set forth.

, 2.- In a mechanism or the class described,

trical potentials, terminals connected-one to each element, conductorplugs adapted to Teach engage a terminal, and automatic means'forpreventing the-engagement or disengagement of the'plugs and theterminals,

the operation of the saidmeans being dependent upon the difference inpotential of one of the said elements from another, substantially as setforth. I

3. In a me hanism', of the class described, 7 M

tials, an electi ro magnetic device electrically connected between-thesaid two elementsto receive itsen'ergizing current from them, a

terminal. connected to one of the elements,

a conductor plug adapted to engage the ter-' nunal, and meansautomatlcally controlled by the electro-inagnetic device for locking theplug in engagement with the terminal when the two elements are atdifferent potentials, substantially as set forth.

' 4. In a'nicchanism or the class described,

the combination of two elements adapted to be maintained at differentelectrical poten- 'tial,' an 'electroanagnetic device electricallyconnected to the said elements, a terminal connected to one of them, aconductor plug adapted to engage the terminal, and means controlled bythe electromagnetic device for preventing the engagement ordisengagementof the plug with the terminal when substantially as setforth.

5. In a mechanism'of the class described,

the two elements are at difierent p'otentials',

'the combination of'two'co ntacts adapted to fixed contact, a solenoidelectrically connected betwee'n'the fixed contact and the said element,a spring controlled core adapted er'gized by the current resulting fromthe potential diflerence between the fixed contact and the element, anddevices operably connected with the core for, locking the movablecontact in or out of engagement with to be drawn into'the solenoid whenit is ena the fixed contact, substantially as set forth 7.11.a'mechanism of the class described, the cofnbination ofa fixedcontact,'a movable contact adapted to engage the fixed contact, anelement adapted to be'maintained at a'different electrical potentialfrom the fixed contact, an electro-magnetic connection between the fixedcontact and the said element, the said device. having aspiringcontrolled member adapted to bemoved in one direc tionelectro-magneticallyand inv the other direction by the action of thespring, a hold- I ingdevice adapted to holdithe movable con- I tact inor out of engagement with the fixed contact, and' means between theelectromagnetic 'deviceand the holding device for locking the saidholding device noperative nncif'irm when the electro-magnetic device ispotential difference between; the fixed con.

tact and the element, substantially as set forth.

8. In a mechanism of the class described,

the combination of a fixed contact,a movable contact adapted to engagethe fixedcontact, 'an' element adapted to be maintained at a differentelectrical potentialfrom the fixed contact, a means for holding themovable contact in engagement with the fixed contact, a movable memberhaving a the movable member, the said electro-magnetic means beingconnected between'the fixed contact and the said element and adapt-- edto actuate the movable member in a directionto move the holding meansinto operative position whenthe fixed contact and the said element areat different potentials,

substantially as set forth.

7 9. In a device of the class'described, the combination of a fixedcylindrical socket closed atone end, a fixed hollow cylinder concentricwithin the socket and closed at the same end as the socket, a conductorterminal within thesaid cylinder adjacent its closed end, a movablehollow cylinder closed atone end, the'other'end being adapted to enterthe space between the fixed socket and the fixed cylinder with clearanceat all points, a conductor terminal finger concentric within the movablecylinder and adapted to enter the fixed cylinder Withclearance at allpoints and to engage the terminal therein, and a pad of yieldingmaterial between the fixed s'ocketand the movable cylinder for forming atight joint between them when the parts are in operative positions,substantially as set-forth. I r

In testimony whereof l aflix my signature, in presence. of twowitnesses.

nits D. LEVIN. llVitnesses:

B. R. DUNLoP, H. B. ALEXANDER.

